Oh em gee. We did it. We made it to 2025 and although I'm kicking off on a slow/fast start, I couldn't think of a better way to start my year here than to first reflect. A lot happened in 2024 that I'll always be grateful for because it was truly a unique, one of a kind year where everything just happened as it was supposed to. Here are the deets. 

Halloween Decor | Sideboard Inspo

'Tis the spoOoOoky season! We're full on doing Halloween already in our home and I couldn't be more excited. This is the first year Daniel actually understands what Halloween is, so it really feels like a mama milestone to get here and do special things for him to enhance the experience. Pre-babies, I'd put a pumpkin out for fun, but it was never really a thing, so I'm more than happy now to dig into my creative genes to whip up some holiday fun! 

Prime Day Picks Still On Sale

If you haven't already checked out of your Amazon cart, you'll want to wait until after this post. My Prime Day list isn't long, but it's a good one full of my must haves and things I've been eyeing. Let's shop! 

Best Time Ever

Life update: I lost my job. Here's the story. Days before I came back to work from maternity leave, I learned the company I worked for was closing it's CA office and moving to the East Coast. Yeah it was bittersweet because I loved the brand I worked for and I really loved my co-workers, but the reality of it all was this was the best thing that could have happened. I was genuinely sad this time around to go back to work because I had such a great time on leave with my two littles. We enjoyed our daily park trips and doing all the relaxing things having a job didn't allow. So really, when I found out about this, it felt like I had another chance to leave again in a few months to spend more time with my babies. Flash forward to the last day of April, I wrapped up work and kicked off my funemployment. It has now been just over a month of not working, I just turned 34 a few days ago and it all just feels like an awesome time to refocus my personal goals. 

How I Pack For A Trip

It's almost time for another vacation in my life and I'm heading off to somewhere I've never been before.  Even if I've never been there, it still feels very familiar given that it's another beach where all I have to do is throw on a bathing suit and sip on a cocktail - my absolute favorite thing EVER.  Sure packing a bunch of bathing suits is easy but there's still something about the packing process that might feel like you're literally moving your life haha.  I'm notorious for packing everything but JUST enough to get me by so in this post, I'll be sharing my top three tips to packing a carry-on generously and still having it all together.  You ready for this vacay!?

Clique Media Group Summer Gifting Suite Event

Hey guys!  With summer just around the corner, there's so much to look forward to.  Obviously longer days, pool and beach outings are on the horizon for me, but in my personal blog life, it means summer activations.  Last week, I was so lucky to head down to Clique Media Group's Summer Gifting Suite event and you guys, the sponsors were amazing.  To say I have enough sponsors to produce summer content is an understatement haha.  From Urban Outfitters to J. Crew to Coach, I'm so excited to be geared up to produce fun posts for you guys!  The reason why I wanted to chat about this event is because I'm often asked what it's like to attend blogger events.  Beyond just Instagram stories and photos, there's a lot of fun that happens when a bunch of bloggers and influencers meet up, so let's recap this event!  

My Favorite Place in Orange County with sixthreezero Bike Co.

Hey hey! With Earth Week going strong this week, taking time to participate in eco-friendly activities is definitely something that should be on everyone's to-do list.  From walking to work, to bike riding to turning lights off and using less water, there is so much you can do to contribute to this holiday.  In honor of Mother Nature, I partnered up with my friends at sixthreezero Bike Co. to talk all about my favorite place EVER to take an afternoon ride in.  If you haven't become familiar with sixthreezero, they are a premier beach bicycle brand based out of LA that specialize in comfort, style, customized bikes and my favorite, bikes with an easy assembly process.  Seriously though, these bikes come 80% built and if it wasn't for my adorable dad that loves to build things in seconds, I would've so done this myself.  Living near beach cities always required some kind of bike, especially a beach cruiser.  When I saw their colorful bikes, I nearly dropped to the floor over how ADORABLE they were.  Can you even use adorable and bike in the same sentence?  I'm sure sixthreezero wouldn't mind because their bikes are so gram-worthy!  Anyway, I got to take one of their cruisers down to my favorite place and purposefully wore a dress and sneakers to snap all the fun pictures in!  Can you blame a girl!?  Anyway, let's get into the nitty gritty!

How I Curl My Hair + What I Use

Shop Leyla Milani Products 

Triple Threat Interchangeable Ceramic Curling Iron | Miracle Brush | Big Tease Comb | Big Hair Don't Care Volume Boosting Powder

Hey guys! This is a fun post I've been itching to write because it's literally been life changing.  Here's the backstory: I, for the life of me, could never curl my hair growing up.  In high school, I used to wake up super early to attempt to curl my hair, and even then, I'm not sure what hair style I actually left with.  It wasn't until I learned how to flip my hair out with a hair straightener that curled hair finally became a thing in my life!  The issue here is I never learned how to curl my hair with an actual curling iron and up until a few months ago, I was still super clueless haha.  In between, I experimented with curling wands and that definitely helped, but as my hair grew, I soon realized I needed a larger size wand for a fuller look and tools to boost my hair. 

We All Grow Summit Recap

Hey guys!  I don't even know where to begin with this one.  Let's take this back a few weeks ago when I became part of Neutrogena's new campaign, "Never Better".  Yeah, you read that right.  I'm so lucky to announce that I will be partnering up with Neutrogena for an entire year to spread the good news about what makes me feel Never Better and encourage my readers and followers to live out what makes you guys feel Never Better!  It's such an exciting time in my blog life that I never thought could even happen.  With my new sponsorship came the beauty of attending the most amazing summit dedicated to Latina bloggers, We All Grow Summit thrown by We All Grow Latina. I had previously attended this summit, but this time, it was so much more impactful than when I first attended.  It's easier if I highlight every day in chronological order, so let's do this!

Wedding Diet Breakfast

Shop Maker Oats Products Here

Hello!  With mine and Martin's big day coming up next year, getting fit for the wedding has become no joke.  What is it about wanting to look good for all the festivities and why is this such a thing!?  I've always generally thought about my health and been conscious of what I've ate, but this time it feels like such a challenge.  My current wedding diet isn't anything crazy, it just consists of eating meals at certain times of the day.  Getting used to this schedule is difficult considering my days are really busy and I love to forget to eat breakfast haha.  In the past, I've been successful with overnight oats as my breakfast, so I decided to give this another try.  First of all, oats are very good for you and super easy to whip up - literally just requires a container, milk and oats.  Overnight oats are such an awesome option for me because it's literally on-the-go breakfast and for a busy girl like myself, I need something hearty and available when I need it haha.

Overnight oats brand, Maker Oats, released three super delicious flavors that I got to try out and I'm already hooked.  Not only am I hooked on it's taste, but hooked on how easy it is to replenish and prepare.  I received two jars with two different flavors and a box of five bags to try out and honestly, the fact that this overnight oat brand provides jars is the raddest thing.  So far, I really like the Apple and Coconut mix because it's the perfect combination of guilt-free sweetness!  I hope to start adding fun toppings to my oats every morning, but for now, I'm just trying to get myself used to promptly eating at certain times.  I'm sure as this wedding diet progresses, I'll come up with other on-the-go options, but for now, overnight oats it is!  Chat with you guys super soon.

Xo,

Melissa Victoria

My Current Skincare Routine

Hello again!  Yesterday I posted a quick celebratory update on achieving a skincare regimen that works for me, and as promised, here it is.  First of all, skincare has always been a sore subject because at the age of 20, I experienced my first crazy outbreak.  I think I realized that my skin was finally changing and a quick wash wasn't going to do it anymore.  I tried several products, but nothing really worked for me and either caused outbreaks in new areas or gave me these awesome acne scars we all love.  Everything was simply too harsh for my skin and I grew very afraid of trying and testing new products out.  I knew to get my skin used to a routine meant having to try a product out over and over again, but I simply did not have the patience for that haha.  Along the way, I did find products that I knew FOR SURE made me break out and quickly eliminated those from the puzzle.

Defeated, I wrote down where I broke out the most, what I felt was different when I did break out (i.e. stress) and how long pimples would remain on my face.  In one last effort to resolve this myself, before heading to a dermatologist, I took another stroll down the skincare aisle at my local Target, and decided to try three Neutrogena products.  I picked up Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover, Neutrogena Naturals Acne Foaming Scrub and Neutrogena's oil free Acne Stress Control Triple-Action Toner.  One to leave makeup on the entire day, I began removing my makeup as soon as I got home.  Skin needs to breathe and I didn't realize how much I was clogging my skin with makeup -yikes!  Anyway, my skincare regimen began like this:

1.  I removed my makeup with the Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover. This felt extremely smooth on my skin and I really did see the difference when I washed my face off.
2. Next, I scrubbed my face with the Acne Foaming Scrub, and per the label, it is clinically proven acne medicine that treats and helps prevent breakouts.  I've read this tons of times before, but maybe I just scrubbed extra hard to get all up in there!
3. I poured a decent amount of the Triple-Action Toner over a cotton ball and rubbed it along my face until the cotton ball came back clear.  I think this was the game changer for me.  Even though I thought my face was clean after the cleanser, it still needed extra cleansing.
4. Not pictured is an Aveeno moisturizer that I use and love!  You can shop that here.

So after a few days of repeating this day and night, I really started to see a major difference.  I swear it felt like I had a new pimple somewhere on my face every single week.  I went a whole month without breaking out until I realized that it had to have been these new products.  It was actually kind of funny because one of my best friends made a comment about my skin, and that's when I realized I hadn't even broken out.  Nothing has changed since I began this regimen other than adding water to my cycle.  I know drinking water and staying hydrated is another huge piece to achieving perfect skin, so I started to be way more mindful of my H2O intake.  Anyway, my lesson here is to be patient.  I can't tell you guys how many products I went through to finally feel like I have control of my skin.  I'm not afraid to try new makeup out or add fun oils to my face either because I feel confident in my little skincare weapons.  I know everyone's skin is different, but if you are struggling to find products that could help your skin out, give these a try!  You never know, they might be what you were looking for.  Happy cleansing, loves.

Xo,

Melissa Victoria

What I Love About My Current Life

Hey there!  The last few weeks have been beyond amazing and more than what I could have ever wanted.  You guys should know that I am a God fearing woman and every single night I pray for everyone and everything before myself.  A fellow blogger friend of mine just recently brought something to my attention that really got me thinking.  Her question was, "If I asked you to list everything you loved the most, how long would it take to name yourself?"  I had to seriously stop and think about how when I'm asked this question (more than often than you'd think) I realized I have never said myself haha.  Not that I don't love or value myself, because TRUST me...this girl loves herself, but it's hard to not come off like a show off or vain, you know?  

With February here and it being the month of love, I figured this would be such an awesome opportunity to celebrate love in all forms, in my current life.  What I would love more than anything, is to come back to this blog years from now and read what I was so happy about - even if it's super silly!  Also, there is no shame in celebrating the many gifts life brings, am I right?  Okay, here's my list:

1. Health

As a professional hypochondriac, I'm happy that I am in good health and that those around me are as well.  I have a book called 'How Not To Die' and I read it a lot because I'm obsessed with not coming down with any crazy diseases, as I'm sure many of you are out there, too!  Working for a fast food chain is so hard because there's food everywhere, whenever I want it.  Let's be real for a moment, I am human and I will always want junk food.  However, I do have examples of how not to live, what not to eat and I'm very fortunate to have means of basically eating farm to table style.  Health will always be a priority to me and for now, I'm just so happy everyone around me is stable and in doing well.

2. Career

Last year taught me a lot about my career that has followed me into this new year.  Patience was and is always a virtue, especially in my work life.  I can't tell you guys how much I think about my career and how sometimes, I need to remind myself that things take time.  I did all that I could to advance myself and prepare for the future, and now that I'm basically all geared up, this whole 'gain as much experience as you can' game is what drives me bonkers.  I'm living out the prime years of my career and first of all, I'm extremely lucky to work for the company I work for and to have an abundant amount of opportunity.  In this new year, I want more and I want to push myself to reach things I was so scared of even touching or never thought could be mine.  You know that Aerosmith lyric, "dream on until your dreams come true"?  That is something I repeat to myself about ten times a day.  Nothing you do for your career is meaningless if you're learning along the way!

3. Love and Be Loved

We all need love.  Whether it's to love a pet, your parent, your sibling, a hobby, etc. we just need it.  I'm fortunate to love so many people and things, and to also be loved right back.  I say 'I love this' or 'I love that' a thousand times a day and I really feel it makes me such a passionate person haha.  Loving is so essential to even your character and the warmth of your soul, you know what I mean?  It feels good to know how much you're loved or appreciated and to be honest, I feel sad for anyone who doesn't know love or has ever experienced being loved *insert cry face here*.  Anyway, I've always been loved and I'm so grateful for that.  This last year was no exception with Martin showing me crazy love by wanting me to be his wife.  That, my friends is love because I can't imagine anyone wanting to wife this up.  In my wildest dreams, the person to lock me up would be a strong, resilient man and that is exactly what I got - so hell to yes, Martin, I'm glad life chose you for me!

4. Family, Friends and Support

My circle is gnarly and I cannot live without them.  My immediate family is small, I have many friends that are all valuable to me and on top of that, I have so many fun digital friends that follow me around on Instagram.  This last year was awesome because I hit 10K followers on Instagram and honestly, it was overwhelming.  I couldn't believe there were ten thousand people out there that didn't know me, but hit that follow button to see who and what I was about.  My plans for this weren't to grow into some kind of influencer status, and it's still not part of my plan, but Brocade Closet just continues to grow and I mean, I'm not stoppin' it!  My family is amazing because they support everything I do and are always there to guide me through life.  We do everything together and in this very moment, we're going through important changes that we wouldn't be able to handle without each other.  

Sigh.  I just feel a ton of gratitude that I can't express with words.  Everything I pray about is coming true and I can't believe this is the life I get to call mine!  I almost feel guilty for being this happy, but honestly, I'm just living in the moment and soaking it all in.  After writing this post, I feel even more gracious and think I should write myself a positive note every month.  It might be a good idea to reflect on all the positives to lift me up and remain in good spirits.  If you feel like doing the same, tag me in your posts! I'd love to celebrate YOU.

Xo,

Melissa Victoria

Ready to Pour Cocktails

Hey guys!  How on-brand is it for my first post,  since my break and of 2018, to be one about cocktails lol.  I have never met anyone that doesn't enjoy a good cocktail and now isn't the time to introduce them to me either #bye.  Anyway, my first drink coming into the new year was of course one full of tequila, but the best part is I didn't even have to put it together - it was already made.  I tried a Bergamot Orange Margarita by Austin Cocktails and I loved every drop of it.  Their ready to pour cocktails selection is pure gold.  Trust me, I couldn't choose between the five bottles because all of them sounded amazing.  I'm definitely a vodka and tequila kind of girl, so when given the option, I went with what I loved and was not disappointed.  What really intrigued me about this brand wasn't even that it was alcohol related, but that it's a brand focused on drinking better.  Austin Cocktails uses natural herbs and organic agave nectar to make the overall drink naturally low in calories and simply a healthier option.  Something I've really learned to adopt in my last few years of life is the mentality of being able to eat and drink anything I want, so as long as it's prepared with the right ingredients.  The options Austin Cocktails provides just fit in with this lifestyle and I'm so ready to try every bottle!  Plus, ready to pour cocktails are extremely convenient, especially for us party planners that have or attend get togethers more than often.  It just totally cuts out the part where you have to think about mixed drinks and all the ingredients you have to buy, ya know?  Anyway, if you're interested, you can read all about this brand, their cocktail ingredients and where to buy them here.  Until next time, cheers!

Xo,

Melissa Victoria

How to Conquer Black Friday This Year

Shop My Outfit

Dress: Gozon (shop here) // Boots: Rockport (shop here)

Hello lovelies! Who is ready for the crazy wave of holiday shopping and Black Friday?  I've been ready since September 1st and I'm just so excited it's finally acceptable to dive straight into all things Christmas.  I know I know, we have to get through Thanksgiving first, but can a girl be excited!?  I guess the first step to realizing Christmas is upon us is none other than Black Friday.  Let's all take a moment to breathe in and out before we start talking about National Shop Until You Drop Day.  I worked retail for years and years and this might sound crazy, but Black Friday was my FAVORITE day to work ever.  I actually considered working retail this year just for the thrill of it, but then there's always the option to actually shop fun sales.  I feel people usually head to huge stores or malls to shop and coming from both the employee and consumer end, I think I've very well come up with tips to get the most out of the earlier hours of your shopping spree.  Alright are you guys ready? Let's get started!

1. Browse the Internet

Checking in on your favorite stores to see if they have any markdowns or Black Friday ads will save you so much time!  The worst is showing up to a store, expecting some kind of deal and then walking right back out disappointed.  Don't waste your time doing this.  If you're thinking of heading to the mall anyway, I would probably just do a walk through the day before Thanksgiving to scope out any signs of deals.  Honestly, just even ask an employee!  I remember people would always ask me about Black Friday deals and I'd spill them all out.  A sale isn't a secret and people will WANT to give you a heads up of what to expect so you can make it a point to go shop with them. 

2. Shop Online

This is my favorite way to spend Black Friday.  Yes, you can leave Thanksgiving dinner early to join all the crazy shopping, but you can also pull out your laptop and shop all your favorite online shops remotely.  Chances are your favorite stores may have already begun their Friday sales, thus making the overall experience way less stressful.  For example, womens online store, Gozon.com had a flash sale this week and I feel it was only a preview of what's to come this Friday.  All those who have signed up for their email newsletters were (and will be the first) to receive VIP Black Friday deals, exclusive coupon codes and new arrivals previews.  I would definitely recommend to sign up for newsletters prior to this Friday.  Because you are shopping remotely, you won't exactly have store hours, therefore you'll need to have some kind of notification, right?  If you haven't already added Gozon to your list of places to shop at this Friday, please do!  They're always adding new styles, their shipping time is beyond quick and gozon clothing is simply the epiphany of girl next door meets cool.  You'll find many gems, like the dress I'm wearing in this post, there!

3. Make a List

Be real with yourselves and think about what you want to buy and where you want to buy these items.  I have a few things I've been eyeing and know exactly where to find them the morning of Black Friday.  I went shopping one time and had no idea what I wanted.  I went with the mentality of, "Oh, I'll see what I find." and left with things I didn't really need or want haha.  I recommend you think of the what's happening next in your life and what you will be using most.  For example, I'm eyeing white dresses and anything wedding related because that's the next big thing going on in my life.  If you live in an area that requires you to use warmer jackets, maybe plan on purchasing a new one for winter!  Maybe I'm just a list type of gal, but that's the closest I can get to being organized and efficient.  Running around the mall, on one of the busiest shopping days, without an itinerary is like a death sentence.  Make. A. List. 

4. Set a Budget

Here I go again with my budget talk - I swear I've become my fiancé.  Listen, you might really love a beautiful maxi gown from store A, but store B might have a similar dress for half the price.  Familiarize yourself with stores you might not regularly shop at, get to know their merchandise and compare prices and sales.  Search 'floral maxi gown' and I bet you'll find several options at many different stores.  Yes, this might be a day to splurge, but there are ways to keep that splurge to a minimum.  If you're shopping clothes, think of all the womens trendy clothes and contemporary boutiques out there!  This might seem like conducting research, but if you're willing to set a budget, you should be willing to browse for the BEST deals you can find.  That, my friends, makes you a pro-shopper!  Again, make a list of items you want, put a price tag on each item and then eliminate the items you don't REALLY need to stick to your budget.  Getting more bang for your buck wasn't a term coined for nothing, ladies (and men!).

Woah, are you guys excited to shop this Friday or what??  I hope you guys enjoyed my list and if you have any other tips, please share in the comments below or drop me a line on Instagram.  Anyway, I hope you find all the items you're wishing for this week.  Don't forget to shop my outfit via the links above!  Happy shopping, lovelies. 

Xo,

Melissa Victoria

By The Way, I'm Engaged.

The exact moment he asked me to marry him. Can't believe I was busy taking a selfie of us!

Hey there!  I've been itching to write this post all week, but I've really just been soaking the news in.  If you follow me on Instagram, you'll already know that Martin and I got engaged over the weekend! I can't even explain to you guys how I feel because I think I've been through all types of emotions over the last few days.  I'm excited, I'm scared, I'm happy and I'm nervous - but I swear I'm more happy than anything haha.  Becoming engaged to Martin wasn't a complete surprise because I knew I would be with him forever, but the way it happened and time completely caught me by surprise.  It was the most special moment and being a couple of many firsts with each other, it was only on brand for us to get engaged in a place we were discovering together, for the first time.  As of now, we're just so excited and it really makes me so happy that he's into wanting to be part of all the wedding planning that lies ahead of us - wish us luck!  

Anyway, mine and Martin's love story is my favorite - obviously a biased opinion, but explaining why I needed him in the beginning is my favorite part about our story.  When I met him, I was recently single.  Like super recently single, SO not looking and mad at every boy that crossed my path lol.  Dealing with an unfaithful person really got to me and I just knew I had to pick myself up and get back to ME.  When I met Martin, I didn't realize he was put into my life at the exact moment I needed him to be to fix me.  From the very beginning, he made me feel like I had to catch up and boss up.  He had all his goals aligned, working like crazy, going to two different types of school, and I was fresh out of college trying to find myself in the real world.  For the first time, I felt like the little dog but I loved it!  There was something about his drive that impressed me and looking back, it was because I'd never dated a guy who had serious goals and actually worked to achieve them without excuses.  I'm not talking about little goals, this kid had big boy goals and since we've started dating, he's knocked every single one of them off like a piece of cake - thanks to God, of course.  He kept me on my toes and in turn, inspired me to be just like him in the sense that I had to set goals and conquer.  I wanted to know more and more about him, it's like I fed off of this to make myself better.  In the end, choosing to pursue things with him was the best decision of my life and I could never look back.

We're a team. We have each others back and together we really do bring out the very VERY best in one another.  This relationship is what I could have ever dreamt of and with many prayers, this is what will remain forever.  There's so much that goes into how we met and all that jazz but explaining to people how I felt and what he did for me during the early dating phase is the best way for me to describe why I NEEDED Martin to be mine.  Sighhhh, you gotta love love!  I really could write a novel about us, but for now, it looks like we have a wedding to plan.  Cheers to being engaged to the love of my life!

Xo,

Melissa Victoria

He did SO good.

We met at this bar, over a tequila shot.  Obviously we had to go back to the same spot and celebrate, with a tequila shot.

Farmhouse at Roger's Garden | Girls Night Out

Thank you, Farmhouse at Roger's Garden, for hosting us!

Hey there!  Last night, I enjoyed a quiet GNO with my local Style Collective sister's and we were so fortunate to have been hosted by Roger's Garden's restaurant, Farmhouse. This was my first time dining at Farmhouse and it will definitely not be my last as I'm super into farm-to-fork style dining.  I was thrilled to have met owner and executive chef Rich Mead himself, along with the rest of the staff that were seriously so hospitable the entire evening.  In this post, I just wanted to share a recap of what we ate/drank, who my SC sister's are and what I wore - of course.  What do you guys want to start with first?  Did I hear food?  Nice choice.  Let's dive in!

What We Ate...and Drank

As soon as we arrived, we were met with the most amazing assortment of cheese and vegetables.  I mean this table was so dreamy, not because I'm a huge cheese lover, but just in general for me because I'd been craving fine cheese and dried cranberries all day long #winning!  Our hosts complimented this cheese assortment with wine, of course, in which I went for the rose - shocker.  I believe I tried the Mont Gravet 2016 Languedoc and just remember it tasted like everything I wanted to drink in the moment.  Anyway, small plates were served throughout our girls night including a mushroom pizza, soup, salmon and potato bites and even dessert.  It was just enough to taste that farm-to-fork freshness, which seriously makes a world of a difference to me.  Aside from the food and drinks, I just really loved the overall ambiance of this restaurant.  It's so romantic and even now with the holiday lights up around Roger's Garden, it takes the overall setting to another level.  Anyway, if I don't have you convinced yet, check out their website and menu in the link below.

Farmhouse | Field to Fork

My Style Collective Sisters

Okay so remember that time I went to my first Style Collective meet up back in April?  Since then, I've kept in touch with some of the girls I met that evening and have been so surprised and happy to see them around at different events.  My friend Caitlin, Jewelry Designer of Boy Cherie, is someone I chat with the most and is now the Orange County Style Collective regional leader!  She did a fantastic job at getting us together and just jumping into a new role to bring unity amongst the Orange County girls.  Nice job, Caitlin if you're reading haha.  Then there's Mindy of the Threads n Breads blog.  I met her at the Spring Style Collective meet up and she's actually a founding member of Style Collective, which is super rad.  Anyway, even prior to meeting her, I followed her on Instagram and it was such a surprise to me that she is also behind online jewelry shop The Songbird Collection.  But, she actually wore these amazing earrings last night and through conversation is when I realized she owned the shop and the earrings were from her shop lol.  Seriously the talent in this group is amazing.  

Also in attendance last night was little miss makeup guru, Kristina from Laugh Love & Hippie.  This girl is my spirit animal and just throws off these super fun and positive vibes.  When I first met Kristina, I thiiink she might have been new to the blogging world, but I know she was new to Style Collective and literally she just fit right in and it was awesome.  Her Halloween makeup tutorials this year were off the wall amazing.  You have to head over to her Instagram to check them out.  Also in April, I met Marshel of the cutest blog, Between YouNMe.  I love thoughtful reads and seriously appreciate a blog that just cuts down to the real real and shares content every woman can relate to.  Marshel and I actually hung out at StyleCon this last weekend and she's just such a good time.  There's nothing more I love than to read someones content, connect to their voice, meet them in person and feel like you've known them this whole time.  Last but certainly not least, we had a new member in attendance last night! Lea of the Grecian Girly Girl Instagram account belongs to the Pharmaceutical world but shares her fashionable side through social media.  I really loved that she came out last night because we totally connected over both being deep into our careers we don't necessarily want to quit, but love to blog on the side because it's fun.  She came with so many questions and I just loved that as a group, we were able to share tips and basically take her into our Style Collective wings haha.  

What I Wore

A few months ago, my sister was fortunate enough to visit the Michael Kors distribution center with her friends and shop their warehouse.  Yes you read that right, it gets better.  It was such an exclusive shopping event and luckily, she was able to pick up a few things for her little sister - me!  One of the pieces she brought home with her was this long sleeve, leather dress.  I believe the retail cost was over $200 and, this is where it gets good, she got it for $10.  Uh huh.  They really wanted to get rid of their last season merchandise or something!  I wasn't able to wear it for months because the weather just wasn't right.  Enter fall and all its glory, long sleeve, Michael Kors, ten dollar dress comes out.  Also part of my ensemble last night were pink velvet booties I purchased from Zara during their end of season sale in June and pink and white SUGARFIX by Baublebar earrings, that you can shop here.

Overall, I'd say last nights GNO was successful, but even more, I'm just so happy to be part of a community of boss babes with different walks of life.  We individually are so different, but come together to celebrate the common factor of supporting one another during our blogging adventures.  I can't wait for our next round, ladies!  Anyway, special thank you to Farmhouse at Roger's Garden for hosting us and to Caitlin for bringing us together.  Make sure to click the links in this post to visit this restaurant and the bloggers who came out.  Chat with you guys soon!

Xo,

Melissa Victoria